baggage claim

Call me crazy, but I’m a big proponent of airlines raising their prices a teensy bit to eliminate all these baggage fees. Wait, wait. Hear me out. It’s not that I enjoy paying more. It’s that I like to comparison shop. With extra costs that vary from airline to airline, it’s impossible to compare the prices of flights at a glance. (Though sites like Airfare Watchdog do try to help.) This is the same strategy mattress stores use. They rename their mattresses so you can’t compare them to those carried by competitors. Their Sleep-O-Matic might be called the Snooze Xpress across town and you’d be none the wiser if the prices were different.

But over the holidays, I discovered another reason I hate baggage fees: they raise your expectations. I have long since gotten over certain airlines losing my bags, especially during the holidays. It’s practically part of the routine, and I always comforted myself with the “you get what you pay for” excuse. It was a free service on a budget carrier so frankly I could live without my stuff for one night. But now most airlines charge from $15 each way for checked baggage and the particular airline I was flying charged $25 per bag each way. FIFTY BUCKS. Just let that sink in for a moment.

Let’s just say when my little bag did not come out on the carousel, this figure was fresh in my mind. And when the airline representative told me that, in fact, they had not put my bag on the plane ON PURPOSE to reduce the weight, I had to count to ten before answering. It took my bags a full day to arrive in my hometown, and in desperation I had to go to the local Wal-Mart to grab some basic sundries.

Most people would probably let the story end here, but I have a sickness. You see, I believe in seeking fair compensation when I have been mistreated. Not only is it the principle of the matter, but I believe in encouraging better customer service. I’m really not very picky and you have to do a lot to get on what I lovingly call my Vendetta List, but once you do, watch out. I once took my cable TV provider to task for blatantly fleecing me for money, and by the end of the six-month saga, they couldn’t wait to refund my money to make me go away.

Ever since this airline lost my bags over the holidays I have been on an email writing campaign. The point I keep making to them is, if you want to charge for a service, then you must provide that service. So far they are dodging my emails but I don’t intend on stopping anytime soon.